June 18th
by The Almighty Leprechaun
Summary: June 18th, 2017. Father's day. Almost a year since Wally vanished and here she was. In a graveyard with a baby in her arms facing the painful reality that her beloved was never coming home.


**Hey guys. Here's something I came up with a while back and finally finished. It's the prequel to **_**When Lightning Strikes. **_**I know you all wanted me to continue that one but I was satisfied with the ending. So instead here's a prequel! I'm going to be out of the country for the next few weeks so don't expect to see anything. **

**The characters aren't mine. Enjoy!**

June 18th

Almost a year had gone by since her beloved had vanished. Almost a year since he'd last held her in the warmth of his strong arms and she felt the wind on her face. Almost a year since he had last called her beautiful or told her that he loved her. And there she was, Artemis, standing in front of his fresh headstone.

No longer was the bounce in her step or the energetic stride. Her eyes were dull and grey, like unpolished silver, the sparkle they once held had vanished with the speedster. The woman for the first time in her life seemed somewhat old and tired. It was almost like the fight had left her grieving, broken heart.

The day was bright. The sun was shining, birds chirped happily whilst they soared through the clear blue sky. It was one of those days that could almost make anyone smile. Except Artemis, days like these were the hardest. They brought back the most memories. Those painful reminders stabbed at her heart like a sharp, cruel dagger.

Everyday she tried to find hope, a reason not to cry. Most days she could forget for a moment, but others, like today, the grief was so immense it crushed her. Nevertheless she found the energy to visit his grave. It had been too long since she last visited. Artemis had avoided this for some time, attempting to ignore the fact that the love of her life had vanished from existence. Though it's had been nearly impossible to pretend when she carried the precious life he contributed to.

Tired eyes rested on the headstone. Her precious baby snored in her arms. Artemis heaved a heavy sigh and looked up to the sky. She was never a religious person, but sometimes she found comfort that Wally was up there somewhere looking over her.

"Hey Baywatch," she sniffed. There was no use in fighting the tears that poured from her eyes.

Artemis cleared her throat and shifted her three month old into one arm so she could dry her face. "I know this is stupid, but if you're out there somewhere and can hear me I just want you to know that I miss you."

The new mother fought back a sob. "I miss you so damn much Wally!"

"I'm so damn angry and so damn broken. I feel selfish to ask you this, but why you? Why did it have to be you?" Artemis bellowed quietly, she didn't want to wake the baby. A small breeze blew her cropped golden hair into her face. Usually she would tuck it back behind her ears, though today she didn't care. All she could do was sit there in the silence and mourn what she lost, what her daughter never had and what Wally would never be there to see.

By now the sun was sinking into the west. The oak trees that filled the well-kept cemetery faded into silhouettes and the sky was painted with golden hues of pinks, reds and oranges. "I want you to come home and be with me and your daughter." Artemis whispered.

"I want us to be a family." It killed her inside that her precious Isabelle would never know her father.

The young woman lightly stroked her baby's fuzzy red hair. "I want Isabelle to have a father." Artemis whimpered. She felt guilty and selfish for saying these things, after all what Wally did save the whole world and yet she wanted him to be here for things that seemed rather trivial in the greater aspect of things.

"She has your eyes and your hair." The mother's lips turned into a rare yet sad smile. Isabelle opened her eyes and lightly tugged her mother's thumb. "She's so beautiful Wally." More tears rained down her tanned cheeks.

"Her name is Isabelle Mary West." Artemis said with a hint of pride. "I know you would have just loved her to death."

Stars started to dot the evening purple sky and choruses of crickets filled the warm summer air. Isabelle started to fuss. The archer knew she would have to leave soon, but she savored the silence of her last few moments. "Wally, I just want to say Happy Father's day." Artemis choked on the words. She dug through her pocket, grabbed a card and set against the headstone. There was a baby on the front and silver letters spread across the top that said 'Happy First Father's day'.

Finally, Isabelle's piercing scream filled the air and Artemis said her goodbyes. Her feet felt like lead as she made her way to the car. Hot tears blurred her vision when she tried to strap her daughter in her seat. It was the moments like this that broke her heart even more. Today should've been a happy day, but instead it was the sadder then she could of ever imagined. It killed the archer a little more each time Wally wasn't there and the fact that he would never be there. He would never see his daughter's first steps or hear her first word and experience all the wonderful moments of raising a child. To Isabelle he would only be a photograph or a passed down story. She'd never know what it'd be like to know her father. That was the painful truth that she faced every day and it damn near shattered her grieving heart.

**So what did you think? Feedback is greatly appreciated. I also have a tumblr now where I'm going to post stories and drabbles and things and if you have any questions it's sometimes easier to contact me there. I'm going to also post updates of what I'm doing with my stories and previews and stuff there too so you should totally check it out. The link is in my profile. **

**Reviews genuinely make my day so if you could spare a few brief moments and tell me how I did it would help me out a lot. Thanks for reading.**


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